Alcatel Space, a world leader in space technology, has signed a $118 million contract with the APT Satellite Holdings Limited (APT), a leading satellite operator in the Asia Pacific region, to design, manufacture and deliver a high-capacity telecommunication satellite and its associated ground segment.
Alcatel Space will supply its advanced SB4000 geo-stationary telecommunications satellite for APT's APSTAR VB project.
With 50 Ku-band and C-band transponders, the satellite offers APT the capability to provide advanced broadband multimedia, new digital television services and traditional telecommunications services to telecom and television operators in the Asia Pacific region.
The transponders are tailor-made for APT based on the latest space technology, enabling the powerful commercial satellite to have a footprint that extends over almost the whole Asia Pacific region from India, China to Australia, increasing terrestrial reception quality and reducing the size of satellite receiving dishes. China is covered with a dedicated high power Ku-band beam for broadband multimedia transmission.
Chen Zhaobin, executive director and president of APT said, "The powerful satellite and the advanced technology provided by Alcatel will enable us to offer more value-added services, such as broadband or multimedia in telecommunication and broadcasting, to our customers."
